Jared Kushner

Lev Leviev-Long-time friends with the Israeli Diamond mogul, financier of Chabad and illegal Israeli West Bank settlements with the Kushners, both friends with Benjamin Netanyahu, daughter sold part of the former NY Times building to Kushner and is friends with Ivanka Trump

While he is being investigated, the long-term effects of Jared Kushner’s presence have yet to be seen. One of the big ones is his relationship to the Sinclair-Tribune merger, which is now delivering biased “must run” news into 72% of US households. In December 2016, Kushner gave Sinclair special access.

April 09, 2017 “Starting in 1999, Putin enlisted two of his closest confidants, the oligarchsLev Leviev and Roman Abramovich, who would go on to become Chabad’s biggest patrons worldwide, to create the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia under the leadership of Chabad rabbi Berel Lazar, who would come to be known as “Putin’s rabbi.

A few years later, Trump would seek out Russian projects and capital by joining forces with a partnership called Bayrock-Sapir, led by Soviet emigres Tevfik Arif, Felix Sater and Tamir Sapir—who maintain close ties to Chabad. The company’s ventures would lead to multiple lawsuits alleging fraud and a criminal investigation of a condo project in Manhattan.

Meanwhile, the links between Trump and Chabad kept piling up. In 2007, Trump hosted the wedding of Sapir’s daughter and Leviev’s right-hand man at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach resort. A few months after the ceremony, Leviev met Trump to discuss potential deals in Moscow and then hosted a bris for the new couple’s first son at the holiest site in Chabad Judaism. Trump attended the bris along with Kushner, who would go on to buy a $300 million building from Leviev and marry Ivanka Trump, who would form a close relationship with Abramovich’s wife, Dasha Zhukova. Zhukova would host the power couple in Russia in 2014 and reportedlyattend Trump’s inauguration as their guest.” Politico

“Wendi Deng Murdoch, the ex-wife of Rupert Murdoch, first introduced Zhukova to Ivanka Trump a decade ago. Then in 2010, Thrive Capital, the venture firm founded by Joshua Kushner, which included funds from older brother Jared, invested in Artsy, an online platform for art discovery and collecting, and brought in Wendi Murdoch and Zhukova as co-investors.”

“Congressional Democrats from Maryland are asking for thousands of pages of documents to review the business practices of the apartment rental company owned by Jared Kushner, son-in-law and senior adviser to President Donald Trump.

In a letter Friday, Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Reps. Elijah E. Cummings, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes and Anthony Brown told Kushner’s firm that it must abide by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations because its tenants receive federal rental subsidies through the Housing Choice voucher program.

The Kushner Cos. own 17 apartment complexes in Maryland, most of them in Baltimore County. The lawmakers, who represent areas with Kushner properties, want documents that detail the New York-based company’s voucher contracts with HUD, inspection reports, lawsuits filed by the firm against former tenants and information about any potential conflicts of interest for Kushner.

The Baltimore Sun posted a story online this week detailing the firm’s legal efforts to collect unpaid rent from former tenants, including requesting body attachments, the controversial practice in which judges order the arrest of civil defendants for allegedly failing to appear in court.

The Sun has reported that the Kushner Cos. have filed more than 1,200 civil actions against former tenants in Maryland for unpaid debts, actions that have included requests to have renters arrested.

The Sun has reported that three of the company’s 17 apartment complexes in Maryland have received $6.1 million in HUD Housing Choice voucher payments on behalf of 268 tenants. The White House told the Sun in February that Kushner would not participate in any policy decisions related to the voucher program to avoid the potential for conflicts of interest.

The lawmakers cite The Sun’s reporting and a magazine article by The New York Times and ProPublica that alleged substandard living conditions in Kushner properties.

“If these reports are accurate, they raise very serious and troubling concerns about whether Kushner Companies and its subsidiaries are complying with HUD’s housing quality standards to ensure the safety and health of their own tenants,” they write.

The letter is addressed to Kushner Cos. president Laurent Morali. A copy was provided to The Sun.”

Kushner met at Trump Tower with Russian attorney on June 9, 2016, right after Trump won the Republican nomination, accompanied by Campaign Manager Paul Manafort and Donald Trump, Jr., who called the meeting. Trump, Jr. admitted to the New York Times the purpose was to get compromising information on Clinton from the Russian source.

While his father-in-law has been filed suit for violations of Emoluments Clauses by DC and MD, and Kushner has been officially under investigation for Russian connections since May 2017, Kushner’s financial savior of the 666 Fifth Ave. $1.8 Billion vanity over-bid, Steve Roth of Vornado Realty Trust, is one of the finalists in the $1.7 Billion construction of a new FBI headquarters.

“Virginia Congressman Gerald Connolly said the White House ties to Vornado [Realty Trust] create a conflict of interest. Since Trump hasn’t divested from his company, “that shifts the ethical burden to his business partners,” Connolly said. “We’re in a position where once again he shrugged off his responsibilities and sloughed it off to someone else.” Connolly, who represents an area in Virginia vying for the new headquarters, called on Vornado to drop out of the bidding. “Vornado is run by Steven Roth, who has been advising Donald Trump on his plans to revamp the nation’s infrastructure. He also is consulting with the White House Office of American Innovation, which is being led by Kushner. Steven Schooner, a professor of government procurement law at George Washington University, said the relationship between Vornado and the White House makes any government deal with the real estate company suspect. “This would absolutely pose an apparent, and, potentially, an actual conflict of interest,” Schooner said in an email. “I cannot imagine any modern-era precedent for the president (and his advisor and son-in-law) not recognizing that this is a problem and shutting this down before it gets any worse.” Chicago Tribune

$1.2 Billion Mortgage Due February 2019 on 666 Fifth Ave, NYC

Kushner’s White House role ‘crushed’ efforts to woo investors for NYC tower“Today, 666 Fifth Avenue appears to be the most troubled of the projects Kushner left behind for his family to manage. With one-fourth of its offices empty, lease revenue does not cover monthly interest payments, according to lending documents. A $1.2 billion mortgage, with escalating interest rates, comes due in 18 months. A ratings agency has classified a $115 million portion of the loan as “troubled,” and company officials decline to say whether it will be fully repaid.” Washington Post September 13, 2017

“Qatar is facing an ongoing blockade led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and joined by Egypt and Bahrain, which President Trump has taken credit for sparking. Kushner, meanwhile, has reportedly played a key behind-the-scenes role in hardening the U.S. posture toward the embattled nation.

That hard line comes in the wake of the previously unreported half-billion-dollar deal that was never consummated. Throughout 2015 and 2016, Jared Kushner and his father, Charles, negotiated directly with a major investor in Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, known as HBJ for short, in an effort to refinance the property on Fifth Avenue, the sources said.

Trump himself has unsuccessfully sought financing in recent years from the Qataris, but it is difficult to overstate just how important the investment at 666 Fifth Avenue is for Kushner, his company, and his family’s legacy in real estate. Without some outside intervention or unforeseen turnaround in the market, the investment could become an embarrassing half-billion-dollar loss. It’s unclear precisely how much peril such a loss would put Jared’s or his family’s finances in, given the opacity of their private holdings.

HBJ, a former prime minister of Qatar who ran the country’s $250 billion sovereign wealth fund, is a billionaire and one of the world’s richest men. He owns a yacht worth $300 million called Al Mirqab, the same name he gave to the private investment firm that Kushner pitched. The former emir of Qatar summed up HBJ’s power with a quip: “I may run this country, but he owns it.”

HBJ ultimately agreed to invest at least $500 million through Al Mirqab, on the condition that Kushner Companies could raise the rest of a multibillion refinancing elsewhere.” The Intercept

August 14, 2017:Israeli Billionaire Beny Steinmetz Detained in InvestigationNY Times “investigation into money laundering, obstruction of justice and bribery…an Israeli diamonds, mining and real estate magnate, is already under scrutiny by law enforcement authorities in Switzerland, Guinea, He was previously detained and questioned in Israel in December. Since 2013, the United States Justice Department has been investigating Mr. Steinmetz’s company, BSG Resources, over potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The Guinean government has claimed that BSG Resources obtained an iron ore mining concession by paying more than $8 million in cash through a representative to the then-wife of the country’s president.

Israeli investigation appears to be more expansive, based on an official statement that said that authorities were investigating “a number of people on suspicion that they acted systematically together with the main suspect in order to create and present fictitious contracts and deals, among other things in thefield of real estate in a foreign country, for the purpose of transferring funds and money laundering.”

Mr. Steinmetz is also under indictment in Romania, as part of a broad investigation into money laundering and real estate there.

In April, The New York Times reported that a firm that claimed to invest money for Mr. Steinmetz’s brother and longtime business partner, Daniel, along with his son Raz, had partnered with Kushner Companies, the family real estate firm of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and White House adviser, on dozens of apartment buildings around Manhattan and Jersey City.

The Kushner Companies said its deals were with Beny Steinmetz’s nephew Raz, and not with Beny Steinmetz.

On Monday, Beny Steinmetz gave a statement in court. “This is how totalitarian states behave,” Israeli media reported him as saying. “This is like a dictatorship that decides and marks people.”

As he has done previously, he blamed his multinational legal issues on the billionaire hedge fund titan George Soros, who he has said directed a smear campaign against him and his companies. In April, two of his firms sued Mr. Soros in Federal District Court in Manhattan.

Mr. Steinmetz was detained along with four others, including Tal Silberstein, a political consultant who has worked for Ehud Barak, former Israeli prime minister, and other Israeli leaders. Israeli media reported that David Granot, the chief executive of Bezeq, a telecommunications company, was also questioned.

Police officials said their investigation was being conducted with international cooperation and said each of those involved was suspected of different violations. Some of their homes and offices were searched Monday morning, officials said.

“As far as we understand, at issue are questions about events that occurred in 2011. Now, it is 2017,” he said, adding that his client denied all the accusations against him.”

President Trump’s son-in-law, a top adviser, had help building a realestate empire from a member of one of Israel’s wealthiest families. By JESSE DRUCKER APRIL 26, 2017

“It was the summer of 2012, and Jared Kushner was headed downtown. His family’s real estate firm, the Kushner Companies, would spend about $190 million over the next few months on dozens of apartment buildings in tony Lower Manhattan neighborhoods including the East Village, the West Village and SoHo. For much of the roughly $50 million in down payments, Mr. Kushner turned to an undisclosed overseas partner. Public records and shell companies shield the investor’s identity. But, it turns out, the money came from a member of Israel’s Steinmetz family, which built a fortune as one of the world’s leading diamond traders.“

“The data leak from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca has shed light on who was behind the cover up of a majorly corrupt Guinean miningdeal. Between 2008 and 2009, the the Beny Steinmetz Group Resources (BSGR) empire’s namesake, Beny Steinmetz, acquired rights to mine the northern portion of Simandou, a mine located in the far interior of Guinea, at the bargain price of just $165 million. Soon after, he sold 51% of the rights to Vale for a whopping $2.5 billion. Read the full response from Mossack Fonseca here

Steinmetz let slip in a rare 2012 interview with the Financial Times that sometimes, “you have to get your hands dirty” – a comment made in the context of aggressive business strategies, not corruption. But the article also quoted Guinea’s Mines Minister Mohamed Lamine Fofana as saying BSGR “didn’t follow the law”.”

Jared Kushner is called “The Secretary of Everything”: Strategic Initiatives Group, White House Innovations Director, Key Contact for 24 countries, Peace negotiator for Israelis and Palestinians, liaison to China, the Muslim community and the Senate Judiciary Committee on criminal justice. Resigned from over 200 family-run business positions because of conflicts but still benefits. As MidEast Peace Negotiator, a $5 million unsecured line of credit from Israel Discount Bank is also a conflict.IBTimes

White House Office of American Innovation: “Chris Liddell, a former chief financial officer of both Microsoft and General Motors; Reed Cordish, a former Baltimore real estate developer; and Matt Lira, a veteran Capitol Hill staffer. Liddell and Cordish share a West Wing office. ...[Kushner’s] credited with successfully overhauling the Trump campaign’s theretofore wobbly data and digital operation.” Politico

Founding Editor of Gawker, Editor NY Observer: “My response to a right-wing blogger who called me a kook and a loser for stating that Donald Trump is a liar / water is wet: pic.twitter.com/pAp18w2x3W “Let me tell you a story, Doug: my opinion about Trump is formed by, among other things, actual real-life interaction the family and having covered the business he’s in, where he was such a notorious liar that a friend of his once said of him, “he’d lie to you about what time of day it is, just for he practice.” And that was a FRIEND. So when I was the editor of the New York Observer and Jared Kushner and I were going back and forth about how the paper should cover him. I told Jared that I was particularly appalled by his father-in-law’s birtherism stance, which I viewed as cynical and racist. He rolled his eyes and said, “he doesn’t really believe it, Elizabeth. He just knows Republicans are stupid and they’ll buy it.” And sadly, he was apparently right. But let’s be clear: he was talking about you, Doug. Trump did not con Democrats; he conned–and is still conning–his base. So you have every right to your gullibility and I won’t try to deprive you of it, but personally, I’ld rather know what the hell is going on.”— Elizabeth Spiers (@espiers) May 28, 2017GQ

Democrat Cory Booker, NJ, doesn’t support suspension of Kushner security , while having takes $61,000+ from Kushner dating to 2009 and attended his wedding to Ivanka. “Booker also pushed back against those calling for Trump’s impeachment, saying, “I’m not going to rush to impeachment.” IBTimes

May 26, 2017: Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin Washington Post “Ambassador Sergey Kislyak reported to his superiors in Moscow that Kushner, son-in-law and confidant to then-President-elect Trump, made the proposal during a meeting on Dec. 1 or 2 at Trump Tower, according to intercepts of Russian communications that were reviewed by U.S. officials. Kislyak said Kushner suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States for the communications. The meeting also was attended by Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser.”

NPR’s All Things Considered May 26, 2017

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<strong><a href=”http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jared-kushner-now-under-fbi-scrutiny-russia-probe-say-officials-n764826″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>May 26, 2017: Jared Kushner Under Scrutiny in Russia Probe, Officials Say <em>NBC News </em></a></strong>”Investigators believe Kushner has significant information relevant to their inquiry, officials said. That does not mean they suspect him of a crime or intend to charge him. ” Kushner met at least once in December with the Russian ambassador, <strong>Sergey Kislyak</strong>, and he also met last year with a Russian banker, <strong>Sergey Gorkov</strong>.”Mr. Kushner previously volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about these meetings,” Kushner’s lawyer, Jamie Gorelick, told NBC News. “He will do the same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry.” Congressional aides have said they would like to question Kushner about that meeting, and Kushner has said he would voluntarily appear before the Senate intelligence committee as part of its Russia investigation.</p>
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<p>Gorkov is chairman of VneshEconomBank, a Russian government-owned institution that has been under U.S. sanctions since July 2014. Gorkov studied at the training school for the FSB, one of Russia’s intelligence services. Kushner met at least once in December with the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, and he also met last year with a Russian banker, <strong>Sergey Gorkov</strong>.</p>
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<p><strong><a href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/jared-kushner-now-a-focus-in-russia-investigation/2017/05/25/f078db74-40c7-11e7-8c25-44d09ff5a4a8_story.html?utm_term=.1af2d35c7ca7″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>May 25, 2017: Jared Kushner now a focus in Russia investigation <em>Washington Post </em></a></strong>”In addition to possible coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election, investigators are also looking broadly into possible financial crimes — but the people familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to speak publicly, did not specify who or what was being examined. In early December, Kushner met in New York with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, and he later sent a deputy to meet with Kislyak. Flynn was also present at the early-December meeting, and later that month, Flynn held a call with Kislyak to discuss U.S.-imposed sanctions against Russia. Flynn initially mischaracterized the conversation, even to Vice President Pence — ultimately prompting his ouster from the White House. <strong>Kushner also met in December with Sergey Gorkov, the head of Vnesheconombank</strong>, which has been the subject of U.S. sanctions following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. In addition to the December meetings, a former senior intelligence official said FBI agents had been looking closely at earlier exchanges between Trump associates and the Russians dating to the spring of 2016, including one at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. Kushner and Kislyak — along with close Trump adviser and current attorney general Jeff Sessions — were present at an <a href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/despite-early-denials-growing-list-of-trump-camp-contacts-with-russians-haunts-white-house/2017/03/03/a5b196d8-002d-11e7-8f41-ea6ed597e4ca_story.html?utm_term=.03cd726cdadb” shape=”rect”>April 2016 event at the Mayflower</a> where then-candidate Trump promised in a speech to seek better relations with Russia. It is unclear whether Kushner and Kislyak interacted there. The <a title=”www.nytimes.com” href=”https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/us/politics/jared-kushner-russians-security-clearance.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” shape=”rect”>New York Times reported</a> that <strong>Kushner omitted from security-clearance forms</strong> his December meetings with Kislyak and Gorkov, though his attorney said that was a mere error and he told the FBI soon after that he would amend the forms. The White House said that his meetings were <a title=”www.nytimes.com” href=”https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/27/us/politics/senate-jared-kushner-russia.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” shape=”rect”>normal</a> and inconsequential. Kushner has <a title=”www.washingtonpost.com” href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-panel-plans-to-interview-trump-son-in-law-kushner-in-russia-probe/2017/03/27/84fe10ae-12f9-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html?utm_term=.3d2c4a35e8f0″ shape=”rect”>agreed to discuss his Russian contacts</a> with the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting one of several investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. In many ways, Kushner is a unique figure inside the White House.</p>
<p>He is arguably the president’s most trusted adviser, and he is also a close member of the president’s family. His list of policy responsibilities is vast — his foreign policy portfolio alone includes Canada and Mexico, China, and peace in the Middle East — yet he rarely speaks publicly about any of them.”</p>
<p id=”headline” class=”headline”><strong><a href=”https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/us/politics/jared-kushner-russians-security-clearance.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>April 6, 2017: Kushner Omitted Meeting With Russians on Security Clearance Forms <em>NY Times</em></a></strong></p>
<p>Kushner failed to disclose meetings with Sergey Kislyak and Russian State-controlled bank VEB. Putin is knows to direct the activities of the bank personally. serving time in Ohio as an unreported Russian spy that was trying to recruit Americans including Carter Page. Kushner failed to disclose the head of VEB, who Putin installed him at the top of VEB last year, and he</p>
<p>Jared Kushner is Ivanka Trump’s husband (m. 2009) and now official Strategic Advisor to the President and formed the Strategic Initiatives Group with Steve Bannon. To divest himself of conflicts of interest, Kushner “resigned from some 260 entities and sold off 58 businesses or investments that lawyers identified as posing potential conflicts of interest, the documents show….President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and daughter are holding onto scores of real estate investments – part of a portfolio of at least $240 million in assets – while they serve in White House jobs, according to new financial disclosures.” <a href=”http://www.concordmonitor.com/Trump-advisers-richer-than-previous-White-House-officials-9044802″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Associated Press</a></p>
<p class=”lede-text-only__hed”><strong><span class=”lede-text-only__highlight”>Kushners Quit Property Bid as Pressures Mount Over Conflicts </span></strong><span class=”lede-text-only__highlight”><em><a href=”https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-10/kushners-abandon-property-bid-as-pressures-mount-over-conflicts” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Bloomberg</a> </em>Anbang Insurance, Chinese-One Journal Square &amp; Jersey City</span></p>
<p class=”lede-text-only__hed”><strong><a href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/jared-kushner-and-his-partners-used-a-program-meant-for-job-starved-areas-to-build-a-luxury-skyscraper/2017/05/31/9c81b52c-4225-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html?utm_term=.a6201031f86e” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>How Jared Kushner built a luxury skyscraper using loans meant for job-starved areas</a> </strong>May 31, 2017<strong> <em>”</em></strong>They worked with state officials in New Jersey to come up with a map that defined the area around <strong>65 Bay Street</strong> as a swath of land that stretched nearly four miles and included some of the city’s poorest and most crime-ridden neighborhoods. At the same time, they excluded some wealthy neighborhoods only blocks away. The tactic — critics <strong>liken it to the gerrymandering</strong> of legislative districts — made it appear that the luxury tower was in an area with extraordinarily high unemployment, allowing Kushner Companies and its partners <strong>to get $50 million in low-cost financing through the EB-5 visa program</strong>.” <a href=”https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/jared-kushner-and-his-partners-used-a-program-meant-for-job-starved-areas-to-build-a-luxury-skyscraper/2017/05/31/9c81b52c-4225-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html?utm_term=.a6201031f86e” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”><em>Washington Post</em></a></p>
<p class=”lede-text-only__hed”><strong>By Shawn Boburg May 31 Kushner Companies scraps planned Orthodox Jewish community in Jersey City</strong> Had it been granted the $150M bid, the company could have built 8,100 homes at formerly contaminated Bayfront site <strong>May 10, 2017: </strong>”Last weekend, the [Kushner] company made front page news when White House senior adviser Jared Kushner’s <a href=”https://therealdeal.com/2017/05/10/who-is-nicole-kushner-meyer/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>sister Nicole</a> promoted a Jersey City project at <strong>One Journal Square <a href=”https://therealdeal.com/2017/05/09/kushner-familys-beijing-gaffe-exposes-eb-5s-fault-lines/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>to Chinese investors</a></strong>. The sales pitch made mention of Kushner Companies’ ties to the White House and Nicole told the audience the project was “important” to her entire family. It was later reported that the project in question is going through a rough spot, <strong>losing an anchor tenant</strong> in <a href=”https://therealdeal.com/2017/05/09/kushner-companies-one-journal-square-loses-wework-30-year-tax-break/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>WeWork</a> and at <strong>risk of losing a key 30-year tax abatement</strong>.”<strong> <a href=”https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-10/kushners-abandon-property-bid-as-pressures-mount-over-conflicts” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer” data-saferedirecturl=”https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-10/kushners-abandon-property-bid-as-pressures-mount-over-conflicts&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1494516030130000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH49clP73zT78Eblwd7LdYkMw2jRg”>[Bloomberg]</a>”</strong> <em><a href=”https://therealdeal.com/2017/05/10/kushner-companies-scraps-planned-orthodox-jewish-community-in-jersey-city/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>The Real Deal— Will Parker</a></em></p>
<p class=”single-title-full”><strong>Kushner Companies’ One Journal Square loses WeWork, </strong>30-year tax break Jersey City project is facing some big headwinds <a href=”https://therealdeal.com/2017/05/09/kushner-companies-one-journal-square-loses-wework-30-year-tax-break/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”><em>The Real Deal</em></a></p>
<div class=”top-share-box-date”> <em> </em><strong><a href=”http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/jared-kushner-convict-fraud-father-charles-new-york-property-empire-president-donald-trump-adviser-a7552496.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Here’s an article about the family business and fraud</a></strong>. “In 2004 Charles was arrested on charges of tax evasion, illegal campaign donations, and witness tampering. He was prosecuted by then <strong>U.S. Attorney <a title=”Chris Christie” href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Christie”>Chris Christie</a></strong>,<sup id=”cite_ref-ceo_17-0″ class=”reference”><a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Kushner#cite_note-ceo-17″>[17]</a></sup> convicted, and sentenced to two years in prison.<sup id=”cite_ref-18″ class=”reference”><a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Kushner#cite_note-18″>[18]</a></sup> In 2006 Stadtmauer was indicted on lesser counts, also by Christie; he received a three-year sentence.<sup id=”cite_ref-benepe06_19-0″ class=”reference”><a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Kushner#cite_note-benepe06-19″>[19]</a></sup><sup id=”cite_ref-sherman09_20-0″ class=”reference”><a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Kushner#cite_note-sherman09-20″>[20]”</a></sup> <a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Kushner#cite_note-Crains-33″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”><em>Wikipedia</em></a></div>
<p>“Bannon, Kushner, and Flynn have been working closely together for two years,” added another source who was part of the Trump transition, again speaking anonymously to discuss sensitive policy discussions”…<strong>Bannon and Kushner formed the Strategic Initiatives Group</strong>: “Less-charitable observers say the SIG is intended to be an alternative lodestar of power and influence to just possibly supersede the advice coming out of the traditional centers of influence like the National Security Council and the wider agencies of government….</p>
<p>”The Strategic Initiatives Group is run by assistant to the president <strong>Christopher Liddell</strong>, and includes deputy assistant to the president Sebastian Gorka, who has worked closely with Bannon <a href=”http://www.breitbart.com/author/sebastian-gorka/”>while writing for Breitbart</a>, the website he used to run…Bannon, Gorka, and Flynn share a like-minded view on the perils of Islamic terrorism, with Gorka giving his <a href=”https://counterjihadreport.com/tag/dr-sebastian-gorka/”>first interview in his new role on Tuesday</a> to The Counter-Jihad Report, a blog run by <a href=”https://twitter.com/leslieburt?lang=en”>controversial activist Leslie Burt</a>.” January 31, 2017 <a href=”http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/01/31/steve-bannon-builds-a-new-node-of-power-in-the-trump-white-house” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Steve Bannon Builds A New Node Of Power In The Trump White House </a> <em><a href=”http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/01/31/steve-bannon-builds-a-new-node-of-power-in-the-trump-white-house” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>The Daily Beast</a><br />
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<p>”Kushner, who helped write Trump’s speech at the <strong>American Israel Public Affairs Committee</strong> conference last month, encouraged (Rupert) Murdoch (News Corp) to have a dialogue with the Republican frontrunner.” Trump received an endorsement from Murdoch’s New York Post <a href=”http://money.cnn.com/2016/04/15/media/rupert-murdoch-donald-trump/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”><em>CNN</em></a> April 15, 2016 Kushner is owner and publisher of the <strong>New York Observer</strong>. On April 13, 2016, top reporter Ross Barkan quit the Observer “The AIPAC moment was very concerning for me,” he said. “I did not imagine that my editor-in-chief would be viewing a Trump speech before it went public.” <em>CNN</em></p>
<h3><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><strong>Steve Roth, Vornado history with Trump and Kushner Companies Real Estate</strong></span></h3>
<p><strong><span style=”color: #0000ff;”>From Roth &amp; Trump’s “Alexander’s” to Vornado</span></strong>: “By the fall of 1979, Interstate Properties Inc., a private partnership engaged in shopping-center development controlled by <a title=”Steven Roth” href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Roth”>Steven Roth</a>, had taken a 17% stake in Vornado” <em><a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vornado_Realty_Trust” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Wikipedia</a> </em>”In 1986, Interstate Properties and <strong><a title=”Donald Trump” href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump”>Donald Trump</a></strong> each bought approximately 20% of <a title=”Alexander’s” href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander%27s”>Alexander’s</a>, a failing retailer whose real estate holdings included its flagship store, occupying the entire block between East 58th and 59th streets and Lexington and Third avenues. <sup id=”cite_ref-3″ class=”reference”><a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vornado_Realty_Trust#cite_note-3″>[3]</a></sup> In 1988, they each raised their stakes to 27% but Trump pledged his interest as collateral for a personal loan from <a class=”mw-redirect” title=”Citicorp” href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citicorp”>Citicorp</a> and in 1991, Trump was forced to turn over his holdings to the bank.<sup id=”cite_ref-4″ class=”reference”><a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vornado_Realty_Trust#cite_note-4″>[4] </a></sup>In 1992, Roth and Alexander’s creditors forced Alexander’s into bankruptcy.<sup id=”cite_ref-5″ class=”reference”><a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vornado_Realty_Trust#cite_note-5″>[5] </a></sup>Alexander’s emerged from bankruptcy in 1993 as a <a title=”Real estate investment trust” href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_estate_investment_trust”>real estate investment trust</a>. That same year, Vornado Inc. was converted into a <a class=”mw-redirect” title=”REIT” href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REIT”>REIT</a>, Vornado Realty Trust. In 1995, Vornado bought Citicorp’s interest in Alexander’s.<sup id=”cite_ref-6″ class=”reference”><a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vornado_Realty_Trust#cite_note-6″>[6]</a> </sup><em><a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vornado_Realty_Trust” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Wikipedia</a> </em></p>
<p>”In 2007, at the tender age of 26, <strong><a href=”http://www.vanityfair.com/people/jared-kushner#intcid=dt-hot-link”>Jared Kushner</a></strong> bought 666 Fifth Avenue for what was then a record-setting $1.8 billion. The message to the New York business world was clear: Kushner, who had taken over his family’s real-estate empire after his father, <strong>Charles Kushner,</strong> went to prison, was a force to be reckoned with, even if he had only recently become old enough to rent a car. Kushner Companies intended to <a href=”https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-13/kushners-set-to-get-400-million-from-chinese-on-marquee-tower”>“expand beyond its extensive holdings in suburban garden apartments to more prestigious urban properties</a>.” And the Kushner name, which had been sullied in the wake of a scandal that involved the family patriarch <a href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/13/nyregion/donor-apologized-to-sister-for-seduction-of-husband.html”>hiring a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law,</a> who was cooperating with federal investigators, would rise again.” <a href=”http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/03/is-jared-kushner-getting-a-sweetheart-deal” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”><em>Vanity Fair</em></a><em> </em></p>
<p><a href=”https://therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/people/steven-roth/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>”Steve Roth’s <img class=”alignnone wp-image-771932 size-full unresponsive-TRData” src=”https://s12.therealdeal.com/trd/up/2016/02/TRData-LogoTINY.png” alt=”TRData LogoTINY” /></a> Vornado Realty Trust owns 49.5 percent of Kushner Companies’ <a href=”https://therealdeal.com/new-research/topics/property/666-fifth-avenue/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>666 Fifth Avenue</a>, but could be gearing up to part with the struggling asset.” <a href=”https://therealdeal.com/2017/04/10/steve-roth-666-fifth-may-be-the-rare-case-where-vornado-is-a-seller/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”><em>The Real Deal</em></a> 2017</p>
<p data-reactid=”226″>”Unfortunately, Jared didn’t see the financial crisis coming: four years later, the skyscraper that was supposed to demonstrate his investing prowess was “<a href=”https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-13/kushners-set-to-get-400-million-from-chinese-on-marquee-tower”>teetering near insolvency</a>.” Vornado Realty Trust swooped in, “getting a 49.5 percent stake in exchange for an $80 million capital injection,” and later acquiring more of the tower in 2012. Until recently, it remained an albatross around the Kushner family’s collective neck. (For his part, Jared sold his stake in 666 Fifth in January <a href=”http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/01/ivanka-trump-jared-kushner-resign-sell-assets”>in order to take a job working for his father-in-law in the White House</a>.)”<a href=”http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/03/is-jared-kushner-getting-a-sweetheart-deal” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”><em>Vanity Fair</em></a></p>
<p>”Trump “understands people,” said Steve Roth, chairman of real estate giant Vornado Realty Trust. ‘He understands what they want to buy, and what they don’t want to buy.’” <a href=”https://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/the-8-billion-dollar-man/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”><em>The Real Deal</em></a>, 2013</p>
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Seth Abramson’s Explanation of Kushner’s Unreported Meetings

(THREAD) We don’t know if Kushner’s Senate letter is true, or if he’ll revise it repeatedly like his SF-86. But here’s what’s wrong with it. pic.twitter.com/HbV9Otardb